Sports

Baylor Graduate Claims School Paid for Another Student's Tuition to Not Discuss Sexual Assault

The Baylor University graduate claims 31 players committed at least 52 acts of rape from 2011 to 2014.

Two Baylor football helmets sitting on the sidelines.
Image via USA Today Sports/Jerome Miron
USA Today Sports

In a lawsuit filed Friday, a Baylor University graduate is claiming that she was raped by two football players in 2013, according to the Dallas Morning News. The suit also alleges from 2011 to 2014 that 31 football players have committed at least 52 acts of rape, including five gang rapes. The former student is suing the university for Title IX violations and negligence.

In her lawsuit, the woman identified by the pseudonym Elizabeth Doe says she was gang raped by former Baylor football players Tre'Von Armstead and Shamycheal Chatman following a party on April 18, 2013. The suit mentions that a student athletic trainer previously accused Chatman of raping her at his off-campus apartment, and the university responded by moving her to a female sports team and paying for her tuition in exchange for a non-disclosure agreement.

The lawsuit comes after former head coach Art Briles, school president Ken Starr, and athletic director Ian McCaw were let go last year following an independent investigation which revealed that the athletic department discouraged women from reporting instances of sexual assault, and encouraged them to remain silent about their allegations towards members of the team.

"Our hearts go out to any victims of sexual assault," interim university president David E. Garland said in a statement released Friday. "Any assault involving members of our campus community is reprehensible and inexcusable. Baylor University has taken unprecedented actions that have been well-documented in response to the issue of past and alleged sexual assaults involving our campus community."

Send all complaints, compliments, and tips to [email protected].

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